Asian Chipmunk - description, habitat, lifestyle

For the most part, members of the squirrel family of the chipmunk genus live in North America, and only Asian chipmunks inhabit Eurasian expanses. That is why zoologists often attribute these animals to a separate genus, because in connection with a special habitat and, as a result, slightly different conditions of development, they could acquire quite unique features. Nevertheless, according to the description, they completely coincide with the rest of the rodents, although they can be distinguished by something.

Basic description

The body of this animal is quite compact and is less than 30 centimeters, while the tail can be from 7 to 12 centimeters, and the body itself is about 15. Its weight is up to one hundred grams, and this weight allows them to be quite mobile.

Generally, if we compare an Asian chipmunk and a squirrel (the chipmunks belong to the squirrel squad, so the comparison looks quite adequate), then the first ones are faster and more mobile. Although anyone who saw a squirrel, it is difficult to imagine how rodents can be faster and more active than these moving inhabitants of trees. However, the Asian Chipmunk runs fast due to the longer front legs as compared to the hind legs.

In addition, the actual body of these chipmunks is more slender, and this fact also adds mobility. It is quite easy to recognize the animal by its characteristic “form”, which consists of the general body color in tones of ocher, which is combined with five dark stripes, which are located on the back.

Habitat

For the most part Asian chipmunks occupy forests of the taiga zone. They are located throughout the taiga - from the European part of the country to the Far East. Some even end up in Kamchatka, albeit in small quantities.

Understanding where Asian chipmunks will settle is pretty easy on plants. You need to focus on cedar pines and elfin woods.

Lifestyle

Based on the foregoing, it is easy to understand food preferences. Chipmunks prefer to feast on cedar nuts. In the absence of those, they are happy to eat any other nuts.

Chipmunks are omnivorous, that is, they can eat both plant and animal food. In many ways, nutrition is determined by seasonality. They prefer green shoots during the growing season, they can also collect roots.

From animal food do not disdain shellfish, spiders and insects. From the plant should be noted such preferred options as:

• seeds of Korean and Siberian cedar;
• rowan, linden, maple seeds;
• seeds of umbrella and herbaceous plants;
• wheat;
• oats;
• buckwheat

Sometimes they pick and eat mushrooms.

The period of cold weather is caused by the hibernation of the chipmunks in hibernation, they reduce their own body temperature and slow down the metabolism. As a result, the chipmunk sleeping, thus, takes only a couple of breaths per minute at body temperature, which is less than 6 degrees below normal, but sometimes they wake up, wander so half asleep to their own pantry, eat some goodies from the stocks made and they go to bed again until the next time they want to eat.

Asian chipmunks are great drives and incredibly economic animals. First, they can keep a certain amount of food with them, as they have surprisingly developed cheek pouches. In addition, they collect about 5 kilograms (a significant amount with a weight of about a hundred grams) of various provisions for the winter, this includes panicles of cereals and all sorts of seeds with nuts.

Of course, such hoarding is quite reasonable, since even relatives - squirrels often ruin underground storerooms, where chipmunks so carefully put their provisions.Often, sables, wild boars, or bears can go to these warehouses.

However, the chipmunks themselves also quite normally adapted to such conditions and it is not so easy to understand where they built their burrow. When an Asian chipmunk digs an underground shelter, it prudently carries the land away from its burrow, that is, according to these "evidence" it is not quite clear where exactly the digging was. The burrows also have a solid structure and it is difficult to navigate there (if you are not the chipmunk who made this burrow) in various moves and find something useful for yourself.

Chipmunks are individualists, each of them has its own plot and its own mink, and they don’t get along in one hole. Even if they are sitting in the same cage, they begin to constantly fight each other.

The hole in something looks like a pretty good apartment, which include:

• lined with fluff and hay floor;
• separate bedroom;
• storerooms;
• lavatory.

However, they are able to leave such comfort. If the feed area is not effective, they move to a new one.

Separately, it should be noted sound alarm system, which is quite developed and diverse.For example, at the time of danger, the chipmunk begins to chirp or whistle. Females in the mating season produce characteristic sounds.

Reproduction of Asian chipmunks

If circumstances develop optimally, the female acquires a partner who is guided by the characteristic sounds, which zoologists describe as a “hook-hook,” although, of course, it is quite difficult to convey the phonetic content of this marriage call in the letter. Anyway, the spring mating season ends with the birth of babies in the second half of May. The duration of pregnancy does not exceed four weeks, and the number of little chipmunks - no more than 10, and the minimum - from 3 animals.

Newborns are almost completely asexual and weigh no more than 4 grams. They are naked and blind, but after a couple of days they begin to acquire fur with characteristic stripes on the back. The eyes open after four weeks, and in total they remain in the mink for about 8 weeks. By the end of the summer - the beginning of the autumn, the chipmunks go to the "free swimming" and leave the parental home.Therefore, the autumn population is characterized by a significant increase in young.

In captivity, the Asian Chipmunk can live for up to 10 years, but in the wild, the average age of residence is 3-4 years.

Interesting Facts About Chipmunks

1. Residents of Siberia, who listened to the chipmunks, for some reason considered these animals screaming something like “burunburun” (as said earlier, the sound of the chipmunks is quite developed), and hence the name - chipmunk, which is onomatopoeic name of the animal.
2. In the mouth of the Asian Chipmunk can be located up to 80 grams of nuts. That is, they rather easily carry with them provisions equal to their own weight.

The commercial value of these animals is relatively small.

The situation with the number

• Nizhny Novgorod region;
• Tatarstan;
• Republic of Chuvashia.

It is these areas that represent the western boundary of the habitat. Therefore, the number of chipmunks in these areas is limited.Accordingly, care is required here for the population.

However, in other regions of the business of the Asian Chipmunk is quite affordable and there many are engaged in fishing, in particular, the fur of this animal is used, which can be quite useful. Sometimes the trade of the Asian Chipmunk is of preventive importance, since these animals can cause significant damage to various garden and grain crops, as well as spread various diseases. This is possible where the population reaches a significant size, in the eastern parts of the range.

Video: Chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus)